scanty

[ skan-tee ]
See synonyms for: scantyscantierscantiestscantily on Thesaurus.com

adjective,scant·i·er, scant·i·est.
  1. scant in amount, quantity, etc.; barely sufficient.

  2. meager; not adequate.

  1. lacking amplitude in extent or compass.

noun,plural scant·ies.
  1. scanties, very brief underpants, especially for women.

Origin of scanty

1
First recorded in 1650–60; scant + -y1; (def. 4) blend of scanty and panties

synonym study For scanty

1, 2. Scanty, meager, sparse refer to insufficiency or deficiency in quantity, number, etc. Scanty denotes smallness or insufficiency of quantity, number, supply, etc.: a scanty supply of food. Meager indicates that something is poor, stinted, or inadequate: meager fare; a meager income. Sparse applies particularly to that which grows thinly or is thinly strewn or sown, often over a wide area: sparse vegetation; a sparse population.

Opposites for scanty

Other words from scanty

  • scant·i·ly, adverb
  • scant·i·ness, noun
  • un·scant·y, adjective

Words Nearby scanty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scanty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scanty

scanty

/ (ˈskæntɪ) /


adjectivescantier or scantiest
  1. limited; barely enough; meagre

  2. insufficient; inadequate

  1. lacking fullness; small

Derived forms of scanty

  • scantily, adverb
  • scantiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012